Rock icon Roger Daltrey has not spoken to his bandmate Pete Townshend for a year, because they need time apart.

But the 74-year-old says The Who are still going strong and the tension between them keeps things fresh.

Singer Daltrey said of the lead guitarist: “He wanted a year off, so I haven’t spoken to him for a year. That is how we are. He needs that time away.”

He said the band, whose classic line-up included bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon, now take more breaks after learning their lesson in 1982 when they hit the skids as Townshend, now 73, battled drugs.

He said: “I knew what a state Pete was in.

“He had quite a run-in with heavy drugs, a lot to do with pressure that the band wasn’t quite gelling and he was having trouble songwriting.

“He needed a break. If we had carried on it would have killed him. And there was no way I was going to let that happen.”

Roger Daltrey says his bandmate needed some time off (Image: Getty)

And the veteran singer, whose powerhouse vocals drive dozens of hits including I Can’t Explain, My Generation and Who Are You, reckons they will know when it’s time to stop.

Daltrey, who spoke as he promoted his memoir Thanks A Lot Mr Kibblewhite, in the US, said that despite the passing years, their music still has its vital edge.

He added: “Look, I’m 75 next year – I can still sing the sh** out of this stuff and Pete can still play it.

The Who took the music world by storm (Image: Redferns)

“I don’t think you ever retire from this business. I think it retires you when you are a band like The Who, because our music has to have an energy within it.

“We are a rock band, we are not a good-time rock ’n’ roll band like Rod Stewart, The Faces, Rolling Stones.

“It is not music to f*** to. Ours is music to fight to and if it ever loses that fighting edge – which still exists between Pete and I – then I will stop. Because then I will be cheating my audience.”